Max George has broken his silence and paid a heartbreaking tribute to his bandmate Tom Parker, who sadly passed away on Wednesday following a battle with cancer.
SEE: The Wanted's Tom Parker's unseen wedding video with wife Kelsey leaves fans in tears - watch
Max shared a series of touching photos of him with his late friend that showed their close bond, including several where Max lifted Tom into the air, and others where they planted kisses onto each other's cheek. He ended his photo tribute with a solo photo of Tom who was lying in bed and looking straight into the camera.
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"Tom, my brother, my boy, my band mate, my best bud," the singer emotionally wrote. "You lit up so many lives all over the world but I can only speak on behalf of mine.
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"From the minute I met you, I knew this was gonna be a special chapter in my life. I was right. We did everything together, some amazing things, some outrageous things. I'm so proud of what we achieved as band mates and as brothers. I'm also proud that I was there the night you met Kels. I remember saying to you, 'you like her don't you?'.. to which you replied, 'bro, like you wouldn’t believe'. You two really are like peas and carrots.
"Thank you for choosing me as your friend. It was an honour from day one. I'm so grateful I was with you until the very end. The courage and dignity I have witnessed over the last few months surpassed the lion I already knew you were."
Max added: "The huge hole now left in my life will forever be there, but I know your spirit will live on through your two beautiful babies, your wonderful wife, our music, your fans and in my heart.
Max shared an emotional tribute to Tom
"I'm heartbroken beyond words right now and I cannot even begin to imagine what the future holds without you, but whatever I do going forward, even on my darkest days, I can always smile and say, 'I shared the stage with Tom Parker'."
He finished with an emotional sentence, penning: "I am going to miss you so much. I love you mate. Always. George."
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Tom's wife Kelsey announced his passing on Wednesday, writing: "It is with the heaviest of hearts that we confirm Tom passed away peacefully earlier today with all of his family by his side. Our hearts are broken, Tom was the centre of our world and we can’t imagine life without his infectious smile and energetic presence."
Dozens paid tribute to the 33-year-old, including bandmate Siva Kaneswaran who emotionally said: "Hey Tom, hope you're having a blast up there. I am so grateful that I had a chance to witness your true courage. It has been a pleasure of my life Tommy Boy. Thank you for letting us see you light up the world. Talk to you soon and see you later. Love you brother x."
The pair had a strong bond
Nathan Sykes also shared a video of the band from the last time they'd performed together, which was in Liverpool last month.
"Tom was the most passionate, funny, driven and inspiring person you could wish to meet and I’m so grateful that I was given the honour of being a part of his journey, and even more grateful I can call him my friend as well as one of four brothers," he shared.
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"He was the reason that the band came back together and the last 6 months have been the greatest pleasure of my life. Our lives will never be the same … Thank you Tom for bringing your light to the world. I hope we meet again one day, rest well, brother."
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